My Steam library basically only consists of Witcher 3 and Spiritfarer. I also was gifted a Humble Bundle game for Batman Arkham Knight.

I’m debating on getting Elden Ring and Cyberpunk (both without DLC).

Marvel’s Spider-Man and FF7 Interograde also look like a good value right now for 40 bucks total.

Edit, ended up doing the following:

Becoming a Steam Family member with my dad and buying the following.

  • FFVII Retrograde
  • Mass Effect Legendary
  • Divinity 1 and 2
  • Caveblazers
  • Portal 2
  • Hollow Knight

I also set up emudeck and transferred all my GBA, GBC, and GCN games that I have ROMS for.

  • massive_bereavement@fedia.io
    2·
    5 days ago

    UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves is about 14 bucks and has around 60 hours of some of the best third person gaming I’ve played. Initially I thought it was just a Tomb Raider clone, but both the game mechanics and story are very polished.

    Plus it played buttery smooth on my system, though it depends on your settings: https://www.protondb.com/app/1659420?device=steamDeck

    The downside is that it eventually ends.

    • TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
      2·
      5 days ago

      Might be worth a pickup at some point — I had a PS3 back in the day and bought these for full price and played the hell out of them all.

    • TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
      3·
      5 days ago

      I really wanted to like Hi-Fi Rush. I had it on gamepass for a few months before my subscription ended but I’m just so bad at rhythm games haha

  • mctoasterson@reddthat.com
    51·
    9 days ago

    I recommend getting some indie and pixel art style titles instead of just going for AAA. Reason being many of these are cheaper ($5-10, sometimes even less) so you can try different genres, and these titles also tend to sip battery so you will get lots of gameplay time.

    Examples I have enjoyed, in no particular order-

    Animal Well

    Celeste

    Stardew Valley

    Vampire Survivors

    Caveblazers

    Balatro

    Slay the Spire

        • TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
          6·
          9 days ago

          Story based RPGs mainly. I like longer games with more interesting gameplay recently.

          Recently been playing:

          Stray (Xbox)

          Pokémon Odyssey (iPhone emulated ROM hack)

          Expedition 33 (Xbox)

          Mass Effect LE (Xbox)

          Pokémon Colosseum (iPhone Emulation)

          Zenless Zone Zero (mobile)

          Wuthering Waves (mobile)

          Last night I started up my first playthrough of TW3 as well and tried out some free games I got from giveaways here on the Fediverse, like Spiritfarer.

          Specifically with Zenless, I really like the combat there with the parrying mechanics.

          • Wrufieotnak@feddit.org
            11·
            9 days ago

            Pillars of Eternity

            Tyranny

            Disco Elysium (just pirate this one, the original creators got swindled out of their company and will see no cent if you buy it, they themselves endorse the piracy)

        • TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
          2·
          9 days ago

          I have tried a couple and just don’t care for the gameplay loop as much.

          I have tried Dead Cells and Hades for a couple hours.

          • This is fine🔥🐶☕🔥@lemmy.world
            3·
            9 days ago

            Well it’s not just a roguelite, it is mainly a deckbuilder. Roguelite just happens to be how it is structured.

            I was a skeptical too and so far I have only enjoyed roguelites where it was just one of many elements. Slay The Spire or Road Redemption for example.

            FTL on the other hand, a true roguelite, I didn’t like at all.

          • KubeRoot@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
            3·
            9 days ago

            I’m just gonna chime in to point out those are both realtime combat focused games, requiring reflex and quick thinking, which is a notable departure from roguelike. On the other hand, Slay the Spire is all about careful planning, making decisions one step at a time, taking calculated risks. There’s no turn time limit, no time-based combos or bonuses, or time-gated doors that give you extra items if you go fast enough.

            Oh, and also meta-progression. Hades and Dead Cells are both built with a central system of grinding out unlocks and upgrades - in slay the spire, the only meta-progression I know is having to beat the game with each character to unlock the next, and having to complete a few runs with each character to unlock all cards… And then the real progression, where you can continue beating the game with increasing difficulty levels to unlock the next.

            Ultimately, this might not matter for you, and even if it does, a slow strategic deckbuilder might still not be for you, and that’s completely fine.

      • Elextra@literature.cafe
        31·
        9 days ago

        I think its $2.50 right now. You can try it out a little bit and if you don’t like you can always refund?

  • mirshafie@europe.pub
    39·
    9 days ago

    This is 500+ hours of gameplay:

    • Half-Life 2 ($2)
    • Portal ($2)
    • Portal 2 ($2)
    • Psychonauts ($1.5)
    • Psychonauts 2 ($9)
    • Subnautica ($8)
    • Hollow Knight ($8)
    • Silksong ($16)
    • Hades ($8)
    • Disco Elysium ($4)
    • The Witcher 3 ($3)
    • Terraria ($5)
    • Left4Dead 2 ($2)
    • Kingdom Come ($5)
    • Mass Effect 1, 2, 3 ($6)
  • thingsiplay@beehaw.org
    32·
    9 days ago

    The Winter Sale goes 8 days still, so you have plenty of time. Some games in example from EA and Ubisoft require additional launcher or an account to play them. I usually avoid them.

    Steam Deck Verified: 5 games including Cyberpunk for total $47,8

    More interesting Steam Deck Verified games

    Also have a look at games that require additional account or launcher:

    • Denjin@feddit.uk
      10·
      9 days ago

      Even the makers of Disco Elysium request that you don’t legitimately purchase it.

        • thingsiplay@beehaw.org
          1·
          9 days ago

          I don’t know if they said it, but if so, I can imagine they had some trouble with the publisher. And now the original developers maybe recommend not to purchase it. Just my guess if it is true.

    • ZoteTheMighty@lemmy.zip
      1·
      9 days ago

      Everything on that list is great on the deck except Ace Combat 7, which shouldn’t be attempted with anything but a joystick.

  • Lemmchen@feddit.orgEnglish
    302·
    9 days ago

    A bit dated but definitely worth a look: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/decktop100

    Check this out as well: https://store.steampowered.com/charts/steamdecktopplayed/pastyear

    Also helpful: https://steam250.com/steam_deck_verified

    And finally: https://steamdb.info/stats/gameratings/?min_rating=90&min_reviews=2500&os=steamdeck

    Stuff I can recommend for the Deck without the slightest speck of doubt:

  • Durandal@lemmy.today
    23·
    9 days ago

    Not a game recommendation specifically but a money extending protip.

    Head over to ITAD and make an account. Then you can get notifications when all the games you’re interested in go on sales from legit resellers (including steam itself). As well as when there’s free games to be had. https://isthereanydeal.com/

    Edit: also… if you collect the weekly freebies from epic games you can install heroic games launcher on the steam deck to play those.

    • Grimpen@lemmy.ca
      2·
      4 days ago

      Second installing Heroic or Junk Store. Get those Epic freebies, but games in GoG sales as well.

      As you are new with the Deck though, using Heroic does involve using desktop mode. If you have Minecraft, you can set up Prism Launcher as well. There’s also EmuDeck for emulating older systems.

      This is a bit more involved than just buying Deck verified games on the Steam store though. Get comfortable with it first. Watch some YouTube tutorials.

    • Bongles@lemmy.zip
      7·
      9 days ago

      Yeah that sites great, you can set thresholds for each game if you want to wait until it’s over 50% off or whatever before getting notified. It also imports your steam wishlist.

      Edit: also… if you collect the weekly freebies from epic games you can install heroic games launcher on the steam deck to play those.

      True, though you don’t get the existing cloud saves so if you’ve started a game already it’s a little annoying.

      • Durandal@lemmy.today
        5·
        9 days ago

        It also imports your steam wishlist

        Can also directly import from gog, hb, and fanatical. EGS is on the todo list also once they have an api or even just a public facing library. All this time and egs is still pretty bare bones on features.

        True, though you don’t get the existing cloud saves so if you’ve started a game already it’s a little annoying.

        That’s annoying. I wonder how hard it would be to just copy or use some kind of sync to move the files yourself.

  • CaptainBasculin@lemmy.bascul.in
    19·
    9 days ago

    I’d heavily reccomend Balatro if you like card games.

    Also Portal 2 if you haven’t played it, it’s a really good puzzle game. Despite it being a sequel, you don’t really need the context from Portal 1 to play it through.

  • Nate Cox@programming.devEnglish
    16·
    9 days ago

    Mass effect, legendary edition. Plays fantastic on the deck, value to cost ratio is very good with all three games included.

    Was my first game on the deck, and it was a really great introduction.

    On sale right now for $6.

    • TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
      8·
      9 days ago

      It will be the 4th time I’ve bought the trilogy haha. Worth it though. Love Mass Effect so much.

      Origins Xbox PlayStation

      • osaerisxero@kbin.melroy.org
        5·
        9 days ago

        If you had it on Origin, there’s no reason you couldn’t get it on your deck via the EA Play app (Origin only marginally less shit) and/or Lutris.

        Alternatively i would say you probably qualify for the black flag discount at this point, so maybe a vpn subscription might be worth allocating some cash to?

  • soulsource@discuss.tchncs.de
    14·
    9 days ago

    For $50 I’d get (afaict current prices):

    This totals now $48.18. If you have an additional dollar to spare, I’d also recommend to get something to scratch that retro-gaming itch:

    That’s now $50.91 in total.

  • Daniel Quinn@lemmy.caEnglish
    14·
    9 days ago

    While the Deck is capable of running some big AAA games, I personally find that it shines in the low-power, “chill” games that you can play for a while, put down, and come back to when you’ve got some more time.

    I’m a big fan of RPGs, so my #1 recommendation is Sea of Stars. Dragon Quest: Builders is also good, along with it’s sequel, which is arguably better.

    A good multiplayer game with endless hordes of monsters vs. your magic is The Spell Brigade.

    You may not know this, but the Deck can also be plugged into a TV or monitor, and with the help of a USB-C hub, can support a keyboard and mouse too! If you go that route, then I can’t recommend Dyson Sphere Program enough. Ooh! and Timberborn! It’s both adorable and beautifully designed.

    If you’re more of a 3rd-person shooter type, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is fan-fucking-tastic (my favourite series of all time) and it’s currently on sale for £5. There are 3 games in the series, and make sure you start with the first one! You don’t regret it.

    Finally, note that you’re not bound to the Steam store if you don’t want to be. If you install the Heroic Launcher for example, you can get DRM-Free games from GOG for example. Sometimes you’ll find that games are available on both platforms, but cheaper on one of the other, and GOG games don’t come with controls on how many people can be playing it at the same time.

    • Kratzkopf@discuss.tchncs.de
      2·
      8 days ago

      I loved playing the Dyson Sphere Program, but the controls without mouse and keyboard felt impossible to me, so I stopped playing it altogether since gaming mostly on the Stema Deck. Have you got any tips for making the controls work better?

      • Daniel Quinn@lemmy.caEnglish
        2·
        18 hours ago

        Sadly, no. That game is definitely keyboard-only. Though I have played successfully with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse in the past.

        Some games just don’t lend themselves well to a controllers based input.

    • Nighed@feddit.ukEnglish
      2·
      8 days ago

      On the chill games topic; Reus 2 has most of my deck (train commute) play time if I’m honest. Great chill puzzle/strategy game.

  • dermanus@lemmy.caEnglish
    13·
    9 days ago

    Balatro and Slay the Spire both play great on the Deck and have amazing replayability.

  • Surp@lemmy.worldEnglish
    12·
    9 days ago

    Vampire survivors is great for the vegetable state of mind play and usually cheap as fuck.

    Core keeper is a great builder game,

    Valheim

    The old final fantasies like 4 5 6 7 9 10 if you can get them on sale. I’ve had nothing but success on steam key websites.

    Mortal sin is amazing.

    Slay the spire

    Lego Star wars The Skywalker saga is so cheap right now and trust me its so fucking fun

    Half life 1 and 2 and half life 2 episodes 1-2

    Halo MCC

    Portal 1 and 2

    Team fortress 2 (probably want a mouse and keyboard for though)

    Hogwarts legacy runs surprisingly well on deck too and it’s like $6 right now

    Make sure you have a game with sustenance and a game you can veg out on.

      • Surp@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        8 days ago

        I think 8 isn’t a good game. I have the original disks, played through it entirely when it came out and realized that I never wanted to play it ever again after beating it. Can’t recommend what I think is not a good game.